Due South Coffee Roasters

“No Outlet.”

That was the first sign that caught our eye as we turned onto the road that leads to Due South Coffee Roasters in Taylors, SC. The second thing we noticed was a massive, abandoned edifice that hadn’t seen meaningful activity since the Taylors Southern Bleachery shuttered its operations in 1965.

It always an interesting experience to second guess your GPS as you make your way to a new coffee shop you’ve heard about. But the experience quickly proved worth the excursion. After parking in front of weathered cargo bay doors, we saw Due South’s sign and quietly apologized to Google Maps. We opened the shop’s door, stepped inside, and instantly knew the buzz around this shop wasn’t just from the caffeine.

Aged mill walls find themselves repurposed as an art gallery for the work of local artists. Rustic barn doors serve as tables. A faded display of old mill tools reminds you that this space could tell a thousand stories.

The drink menu is designed with the purist in mind. But the focus on quality and simplicity doesn’t mean the good folks at Due South lack a sense of adventure. In addition to offering delicious coffee from all over the globe (the Brazilian Rose Diamond is our current favorite), the baristas regularly employ a little whimsy and imagination that results in a signature drink each month. Customers with an adventurous palette are treated to everything from toasted vanilla bourbon marshmallow atop a rich mocha to a homemade cherry cola crafted from coffee cherries.

But make no mistake, at Due South, coffee is king. When you decide to visit (and we highly recommend you do), you’ll see this for yourself. This coffee shop that started as an aside for an upstart local roastery has quickly become a destination location in the unlikeliest of places.

You won’t wander by.

You won’t pass it by mistake.

You may not be sure you’re in the right place when you actually get there.

But when you do make it to Due South Coffee in Taylors, SC, the “No Outlet” sign won’t matter. You won’t question how to get out. You’ll wonder why you’d ever leave.